mdr
/ɛm.de.ɛʁ/
The English phrase 'jk' can be translated into French as mdr.
In French, the abbreviation mdr is used in informal text messages to indicate that a previous statement was a joke.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of mdr is /ɛm.de.ɛʁ/. It has three syllables.
Did you know?
- While mdr means 'dead of laughter', it is often used as a polite filler to soften a critique or a blunt statement, rather than to indicate something is actually funny.
- While mdr is used for jokes, French speakers may use xptdr for something truly hysterical, adding a 'x' to represent an extreme degree.
- Despite being a written abbreviation, mdr is sometimes spoken aloud in conversation by teenagers, who pronounce each letter individually as /ɛm.de.ɛʁ/.
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are texting each other about a fake news story.
- HugoLe cours est annulé demain !Class is cancelled tomorrow!
- LéaSérieusement ? C'est génial !Seriously? That's great!
- HugoJe plaisante, mdr.I'm kidding, lol.
- LéaHugo, tu m'as bien eu !Hugo, you really got me!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mdr, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
